Family

Sure, I’ve thought about just having another little one, why not, you’ve done it once and I TOTALLY get why people have children close together; but me personally I do not think I’m strong or selfless enough. But then there’s Alexis, although she may be skeptical, she is going to rock this! She is so laid back and relaxed that living in the mountains and taking it easy with 2 little ones sounds beautiful and manageable. I cannot wait to meet this new little babe and know that their family is ready, because ready or not here comes number 2.

“Two under two…
We are doing it! I wish I could say I am mentally, physically, socially, and any other way ready – but no. I wish I could say I’m calm & prepared – but no. Don’t get me wrong, I have diapers, wipes, & burp clothes about every 30 feet all over our house! I’ve read blogs & got sucked into too many ‘How do I survived 2 under 2’ articles on Pinterest. We are as ready as we are going to get. But it’s different this time around. Instead of focusing on the baby, like I did the first time around, I’m focused on how do I include my first born & try not to piss him off by rocking his world. I love my husband & all, but as a stay at home mom my son is my best friend. Fact. We do everything together! I’m just hoping he likes me half as much as I love him. Thankfully my husband is the calm, cool, and collected one. He calmly states how we can do this & we’ll figure it out, like we did the first time around. I believe him, most of the time, either way it’s nice to hear.”

Meet Sam, mother to sweet Nora and truth-teller. We try to know what to expect as parents, but let’s face it, WE DON’T KNOW! There aren’t enough books in the world, blogs on the internet or people whispering in your year to understand the magnitude of what is coming with your first little one, but knowing it’s all going to change, day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute that is the joy and frustration of parenthood!

“It took me only a few months of motherhood to realize that one of the cardinal rules of parenting is expect unpredictability–everything changes all the time. This can be profoundly reassuring when you are in one of those awful feedback loops, such as when your child only naps while you’re holding her, or she won’t nap at all, or she screams the entire time she is riding in the car, because it means that just when you’re at your wit’s end (or maybe beyond it), she will grow out of it. But unfortunately it applies to the good times too. When you’re in one of those easy(ish) phases where you’ve got a schedule and things are running fairly smoothly, don’t get too comfortable, because sooner or later the rug will be pulled out from under you. You’ll travel and the sleep schedule will evaporate. Your baby will start teething. Mercury will be in retrograde. Who knows. What I do know is that the nice little routine we’ve got going will fly out the window and crabby will be the order of the day. It’s been sobering to realize how much this unpredictability upsets me–it might be one of my biggest challenges. When my daughter unexpectedly skips naps or wakes up out of sorts or won’t eat anything I make, it throws off our day and puts me on edge and I’m not very good at rolling with it. But I try. Maybe, hopefully, this will be a skill I acquire over time. Recalibrate, adjust, switch gears, and accept the changes in course. Because god knows there will be more. And because the not-knowing is also one of the most beautiful, wondrous things about parenthood. One day it won’t be the frustration that I remember, but the surprise of each new development, each new aspect of her personality revealed. With any luck she’ll remember her mom rolling with it all.”

Have you ever thought about traveling with your one year old….to Italy? While the thought of packing up and hitting the road seems like an easy enough plan, so much goes into getting it just right. In all reality our kids need a pair of clothes, shoes some diapers and food…but in real reality they need everything from distractions, new foods, comfort foods, nursing, being carried, walking on their own, being pushed, loud places, quiet times, etc. You know how it goes; nonetheless Chelsea describes her trip beautifully and makes it sound like a possibility, if you’re up for it!

“Open-minded, worldly, bilingual. These are all words we hoped would describe our child (and someday, children) as a result of traveling with them from a young age. My husband and I met traveling, and are both happiest when we are exploring new cultures. So, when the opportunity presented itself to travel to Italy for my brother-in-law’s Tuscan wedding, we pounced. By pounced, I mean we spent MONTHS researching travel cribs (Guava Family’s Lotus!), and I practiced packing a family of 3 in one small rollerboard after my son went to bed. This may not seem like a herculean feat, but I assure you it was, as this rollerboard included 20 pouches, 20 diapers, the monitor system, and a package of wipes. We stocked up on new ultra-compact toys (hello, neon travel Aquadoodle and Rubik’s cube), and never-before-seen snacks (i.e. teriyaki-flavored dried seaweed and organic juice lollipops) for our then 16 month old. We even prolonged weaning for this adventure, because I didn’t want to brave the accent and decent without breastfeeding in my arsenal. He’s now 18 months old and nursing still… just in case…?

The day we left home, we had a densely-packed diaper backpack, the rollerboard (each item within having undergone committee-style scrutiny), a garment bag with all of the wedding attire (which we promptly forgot in our coat closet and left behind, because we were bickering about whether to bring a stroller), and the Ergo 360. The 40 minute car ride, 4 hour flight, 3 hour layover, 9 hour flight, and 2 hour train and taxi rides on the way to the wedding destination all went reasonably well. Admittedly, we were all exhausted, but little dude did a fair amount of sleeping along the way. In Cortona, a small Etruscan hilltop town in the province of Arezzo, we lounged about and ate fantastic food with family while gearing-up for the wedding. We scrapped our plans to do day trips to Montepulciano and Chianti in favor of walks through town and long naps. We ate at Snoopy’s Gelato every day. Aside from the missing tuxedos and gown, Cortona and the wedding were a breeze.

After the wedding we headed due south, through Rome, Naples, and on to Sorrento. We stayed 1 night in Sorrento, before conquering Capri and the Grotta Azzurra. The Blue Grotto was not a smart decision with a toddler, as strangers had to hand him out of a ferry, over turbulent ocean, into a rowboat without a lifejacket. I get nauseous now just thinking about all of the ways that could have gone horribly wrong. You bob around in the rowboat waiting for your turn to hit the deck (literally), so that the rower can hoist your rowboat through a small opening between the water and rock face using a heavy metal chain. If my husband asks, it was totally worth it. *shakes head in the absolute negative.

It was all ferries, from Capri to Amalfi, from Amalfi to Positano. We ran out of pouches by Cortona, and they proved impossible to find, so toddler boy was eating soft pasta and other manageable foods. He was, however, not thrilled about it at first. His semi-hunger protest came to a head when we started for home. The ferries, taxis, buses, trains, planes and endless waiting were increasingly difficult for him. The nearly 10 hour flight state-side was chaos (scratching, biting, screaming, vomiting, the works). But, we survived it, and the 5 hour layover and 4 hour flight home that followed. It sounds strange to say you survived a trip to Italy… whatadouche, right? Traveling internationally with a toddler can be a crucible. But, also with a toddler… every line, every interaction with a new person, and every meal visibly changed him. Our son came back knowing the word ciaccolato, and was responding to bello like it was his name. The journey also changed us. Like with most aspects of life, alterations are necessary once children are part of the equation. Backpacking might be out for a few years. We learned to do something we love, well, as a family. And now we will show no (or less) fear at the thought of going abroad again. Viva l’Italia!”

Meet Julia, Mom of two incredibly beautiful boys. I met Julia when the boys were 7 months old, so I think I caught her in a sweet spot. From the moment I watched her with her boys I have been in awe. Whether you’ve had one or three there are always new surprises that arise, but finding out you’re having two at once can take some time to get used to; nonetheless this woman’s strength and determination is incredible. I am excited she was able to share her story with us!

“There’s two babies in here”, Sharon, the ultrasound technician, told me, quietly and cautiously. “You’re pregnant with two babies. You’re pregnant with twins.”
Silence. That was my response. Silence. I didn’t know what to do.
Thank goodness my husband was in the room. His response was a bit more enthusiastic. “That is AWESOME!”, he exclaimed. Sharon, relieved, said she’s always a bit nervous to give that news, as some parents-to-be don’t react as favorably as my husband just did to learning they’re pregnant with multiples. Now, with 18 month old twin boys, I understand why. Don’t get me wrong, I love my boys. They are smart and adventurous and curious and caring. They are also a whole lot of work. I spent many of the first months of their lives exasperated. Everyone told me how lucky I was to have twins, but I didn’t feel lucky at all. Born at 4 pounds, they were the smallest babies I’d ever seen (and apparently the smallest babies our nurse ever cared for – I could have done without that information). They were too weak to latch and too weak to take a bottle. I spent 20 hours a day that first month, just trying to get them to eat. My friends with singletons assured me it was quite normal, they knew what I was going through, and I just needed to “stick with it”. They didn’t know what I was going through! They had no idea. They didn’t know what it felt like, as a new mom, to leave your newborn baby screaming in his crib because your hands were full trying to get your other newborn baby to just take a couple milliliters of milk. Of course I was going to “stick with it”. What other option did I have?
A couple months ago, my husband confessed to me that he was pretty worried those first six months. I went days without showering, without changing my clothes. I didn’t have the energy to eat or drink, and I cried constantly. He thought I’d given up. When I heard that, I burst out laughing. Given up?! Really? Given up? I put everything I had into not giving up! I was in pure survival mode.
Thankfully, everything I had was just enough for all of us to survive those first six months. As the boys got stronger and stronger, I did too. I figured out a way to not only hold both of them at the same time, but to feed them at the same time too. Before I knew it, we all survived the next six months, and we all survived the six months after those too. Dare I say it; we may have even learned to thrive.
Yeah, having twin boys is a whole lot of work, but it’s pretty awesome too.
-Julia-

Ah! Another family that I have had the joy of seeing number 2 welcomed into this beautiful life. And to have 2 under 2, you 2 are rockstars!
How fun for big sister Molly to have this adorable little man to teach all her tricks too.
As much as I adore photographing Jonathan, getting to watch Molly + Dad play was a ton of fun. I know a lot of dads secretly love when their oldest becomes more attached to them after a new little one arrives, and I think that is completely normal to feel that connection even stronger. Documenting them reading and playing is securing that bond that they will have for many more years.
Thank you for having me back again and being able to show you how you love one another.

Sometimes you show up to a session and the little one is having a harder time than planned.
and sometimes you have to just waaaaaaait.
Because it’s supposed to rain, and there’s no sun out, but then he cuddles into mom and realizes there’s no one in the park and we can run and play and carry our farm animals all over the place without a care in the world, how lucky are we!
Everything turns around with a little patience and communication.
This was a lot of fun and those eyes and smile were worth every minute of it!

There are some sessions that don’t need a lot of words.
Getting to watch these two boys grow up, I know how they interact with one another and love on each other. Their parents are so wonderful at making light of parenting and having fun with it. Their boys are sweet and are going to be great friends soon enough!
Having little ones close together, I’m sure can feel a little crazy sometimes, although I have no doubt it’s a bond that has brought them close together as a family.

Wow! These new homes that are popping up are so modern and fun to photograph in! The lines and light make for a fun creative way to show off sweet Ava!
Watching her parents bring out all the stops was so cute — I love all the different ways people find to entertain, soothe and snuggle their babies. And Ava’s mama + dada sure know how to pull out the stops. I would imagine some of your favorite moments in that first year are simply snuggling with your little one and finding ways to make them happy constantly. Love documenting your love for one another.

This is one of my families that I will hope to have another little one or just let me see them every couple of months, that’s a thing right?
I hope so! These girls, Olivia + Savannah keep me laughing and have their mom’s hilarious personality! Dad sure has his hands full with these 3 ladies!
You never know what you’re going to get in February for weather, and we lucked out in this gorgeous location. I love watching these little ones explore and discover these new places. I’m sure they have no idea how lucky they are to grow up with these views, but they will one day.
Thank you for this past year and I’ll just plan for you to have another baby someday, so we can continue hanging out! 🙂

How much did I love this session? A lot, a lot!
It was a very snowy morning, but we had the most gorgeous lighting coming in on the sweetest little baby Harper.
Watching new parents watch over their little one is insanely heartwarming and makes me feel all those feelings after having a little one.
Getting to document that time and show these two amazing parents how they look when they are in love is an ultimate goal of mine.
Harper is stunning, her parents are loving and those dogs are going to have to get use to a new queen in town 🙂